MICHAEL AVERY: Transparency is needed in our trade policy
The landscape is a battleground of murky dealings and lost opportunities
Alexis de Tocqueville observed that democracy and socialism have nothing in common but for one word, equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.
In the corridors of power, where policy meets politics, SA’s trade landscape is a battleground of Tocquevillian proportions, murky dealings, and lost opportunities. While the five tenets of successful trade policy formulation — public consultation, measurable goals, competent implementation, continuous evaluation, and adjustments when needed — seem like elusive mirages on the horizon, the nation’s trade policy journey has been fraught with obstacles and questionable decisions, leaving business grappling with a deeply uncertain future...
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